Jokes aside, there have been cultures where women went into labor and would deliver by themselves away from the tribe. It’s been a while since I read about it, but iirc if she returned without the newborn is was either unacknowledged or at minimum just accepted as her decision. Imagine having a still birth or a child with extreme physical deficiencies prior to modern medicine. I do remember thinking when I read it that it surely resulted in women not returning, too, because childbirth can be risky even with a team of professionals.
Also wet nurses have been a thing, and the practices with that range from understandable to horrific - think wives of slave owners not wanting to breast feed, so they force a slave that’s given birth recently take on the duty, usually as a priority over their own child. Course, there’s always been women who couldn’t produce milk, so it has been done altruistically, too
That one always confused me. They probably aren’t feeding and housing the slave that’s feeding their baby well. Maybe I am missinformed but i’d imagine that provided less healthy milk. Not to mention the stress associated with having to feed someone else’s baby.
The only reference I have to go on off the top of my head there is Django Unchained where a difference was noted for those working in the house vs fields. I imagine it was used as emotional manipulation to bribe them with better living conditions in some cases, though
Jokes aside, there have been cultures where women went into labor and would deliver by themselves away from the tribe. It’s been a while since I read about it, but iirc if she returned without the newborn is was either unacknowledged or at minimum just accepted as her decision. Imagine having a still birth or a child with extreme physical deficiencies prior to modern medicine. I do remember thinking when I read it that it surely resulted in women not returning, too, because childbirth can be risky even with a team of professionals.
Also wet nurses have been a thing, and the practices with that range from understandable to horrific - think wives of slave owners not wanting to breast feed, so they force a slave that’s given birth recently take on the duty, usually as a priority over their own child. Course, there’s always been women who couldn’t produce milk, so it has been done altruistically, too
That one always confused me. They probably aren’t feeding and housing the slave that’s feeding their baby well. Maybe I am missinformed but i’d imagine that provided less healthy milk. Not to mention the stress associated with having to feed someone else’s baby.
The only reference I have to go on off the top of my head there is Django Unchained where a difference was noted for those working in the house vs fields. I imagine it was used as emotional manipulation to bribe them with better living conditions in some cases, though